On September 11, 2001, the morning started as any other. People went to work, took their kids to school, went to the store, and went about their normal routines. However, that all changed at 8:46 a.m., when Flight 11 crashed into the 93rd to 99th floors of the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Shortly after, at 9:03 a.m., Flight 175 crashed into the South Tower between floors 77 and 85. A third plane hit the Pentagon, and Flight 93 ended in an empty field in Pennsylvania.
The United States changed in a matter of minutes. The hijacked flights that crashed into the World Trade Center killed 2,753 people. There were also 184 people killed at the Pentagon, and 40 killed on the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania. The terrorist attacks that happened on this day changed how we see September 11, and the event has often been referred to as the modern-day equivalent to Pearl Harbor - people remember exactly where they were or what they were doing when they heard the news.
15 years later, 9/11 is now being taught in schools to a generation of students who weren't alive when the attacks happened. Being that this is the case, I thought it would be interesting to find out what someone born after 2001 knows about the attacks, and look at it in comparison to other generations.
These are the perspectives of four generations, two who were adults at the time, one a child, and the other born after 9/11. All are from the New Haven area in Connecticut, which is approximately a one and a half hour train ride from New York City.
First Generation: Barbara
The first generation perspective I got was from my grandmother, Barbara. She said she remembers the shock after the second plane hit, and how that was when she and everyone realized it was not an accident. After the plane hit the Pentagon and the plane crashed in Pennsylvania, she said "We didn't know what to think."
I asked next about her feelings that day. "Shock, fear, anger, confusion," she said, "But, most of all, sadness. So many people hurt and killed, and they had done nothing to deserve their fate."
Barbara also remembers there being a sense of togetherness that day, and in the days that followed. People were gathering together in various ways to share grief.
Second Generation: Sandy
For a second generation perspective, I turned to my mother, Sandy. She told me about the confusion, and how the news was on all day, with constantly changing reports. She also said there was panic all over the country, so "our church decided to open to Chapel for prayer and there were so many people." They ended up having to move from the tiny Chapel into the actual Church.
"My feelings that day were a mix of many things," she said. "Part of me did not want to believe it." She also told me about how so many parents were panicked, and rushed to pick up their kids from school, but she wanted to try to keep things as normal as possible. She didn't want to watch the news, but also couldn't turn away from the reports.
Like Barbara, Sandy noticed how it brought everyone together. The tragic event brought the country together, made American flags show up everywhere, and made people take pride in being American.
Third Generation: Morgan
I'm the third generation perspective. I was two weeks shy of turning six when the attacks on the World Trade Center happened, so even though I wasn't old enough to understand what happened, I do remember some things from that day.
I distinctly remember three things from September 11. The first was the principle walking into my classroom to talk to my teacher, which almost never happened. I remember our teacher then letting us know we had a half day, and saying it was just one they forgot to put on the calendar. The third thing I remember was going home and seeing the video of the second plane hitting the towers and wondering what was happening.
I know that when I asked why the plane hit the building, my mom just told me it was a plane crash, just an accident. I was confused, and really just didn't understand what was happening. It wasn't until years later that I learned the significance of that plane crash, and began to understand at least a little bit.
Fourth Generation: Charlie
The fourth generation is the post-2001 generation. My younger cousin, Charlie, was born in 2004, and has only learned about 9/11 in school. He's now in seventh grade, and the first thing he told me was that he learned about 9/11 in fifth grade.
He told me knows that terrorists hijacked four planes and two attacked the twin Towers in New York. They were taught about how the fourth plane was going to the White House, but failed. He and his classmates also learned about how many people were rescued, and what the firefighters had to do to rescue people.
I asked him how he thought people felt when it happened, and he said upset and confused. "They were probably curious about why there were planes flying into the Twin Towers," he told me. That was also something he had been taught, his teachers telling him and him learning from news clips about how people reacted.
The last thing I asked was how he felt about what happened, and he said, "I felt like what happened was wrong. There were tons of families that lost kids and adults."
Four different generations, and four different perspectives on the same event. One common thread, though: it was a confusing, scary, and a sad time. 15 years later, we still remember those who lost their lives, and we are reminded of our resiliency as a country. Now, we're teaching the next generation about that day. We will Never Forget.
